Geoarchaeology of Sambaquis on the North Coast of Espírito Santo: Archaeological Microfacies Analysis (Linhares - ES)

• Grant number: 24/01401-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Effective date (Start): July 01, 2024
• Effective date (End): June 30, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Archeology - Prehistoric Archaeology
• Principal Investigator: Ximena Suarez Villagran
• Grantee: Vitor Santos Nunes
• Host Institution: Museu de Arqueologia e Etnologia (MAE). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The relative homogeneity of the archaeological record found in Brazilian shellmounds, as kown as sambaquis, has led to the hypothesis that these communities constitute an unique cultural system, with specificities developed at local level in response to complex interactions with environmental and anthropogenic factors. However, some authors address the differences that the artifact content, composition, and morphology of sambaquis as an indicative of pluricultural systems. Recent studies have revealed distinct genetic patterns among contemporaneous individuals from shellmounds of the North Coast of Espírito Santo State and others shellmounds along the southern and southeastern brazilian coast. These unprecedented results, added to the gap of geoarchaeological studies on Espírito Santo's shellmounds, project a promising horizon for conducting studies on the formation processes of these archaeological sites.The present research project is linked to the research project "As sociedades costeiras do Brasil pré-colonial: fronteiras e transições culturais através da microarqueologia" (Process FAPESP 2023/08230-7)", aiming to expand the currently available knowledge on the subject in the region and contribute to the integration with past results obtained through other methodological approaches. Thus, the project proposes the geoarchaeological analysis of two shellmounds (Lagoa Bonita 17 and Suruaca 20) and one ichthyological mound (Lagoa Bonita 19) located in the municipality of Linhares, northern coast of Espírito Santo. The investigation will be guided by the method of archaeofacies analysis, focusing on the description and interpretation of mineralogy and micromorphological features (microarchaeofacies analyses), complemented by geochemical (FTIR) and isotopic (´13C and ´15N) analyses.